Sugar Bowl snowboarder who rode avalanche may face prosecution

Updated 10:56 am, Friday, January 22, 2016

Christian Michael Mares was caught in an avalanche that he caused in an off limits section of the Sugar Bowl ski resort last Friday.

Christian Michael Mares was caught in an avalanche that he caused in an off limits section of the Sugar Bowl ski resort last Friday.

Photo: YouTube

Sugar Bowl snowboarder who rode avalanche may face prosecution

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(Warning: The video contains foul language.)

Before Christian Michael Mares, a sponsored snowboarder, started an avalanche at a Northern California ski resort, he said he was just looking for a “nice cliff to drop.”

He said he didn’t think his ride would set off a snowslide at Sugar Bowl Resort near Norden last Friday, and he definitely didn’t think he would be facing trespassing charges.

“No one wants to try to start an avalanche,” the 29-year-old said. “That’d be absolutely crazy.”

But Mares inadvertently set off a snowslide in an off-limits area of the ski resort Friday afternoon, and now, the Placer County Sheriff’s Department is involved.

Around 12:45 p.m., Mares wandered off into Perco’s, an area in the East Palisades that has been closed to the public since the 2010-2011 ski season, resort spokesman John Monson said.

But Mares said he and some friends wound up there by chance, not realizing it was a forbidden zone.

“We were just having fun,” he said. “We didn’t know that area was supposedly closed off.”

After he jumped off a cliff in the area, a potentially dangerous rush of snow slid down the slopes, and Mares said he had to swim to the top to avoid getting buried. Mares said he escaped with only a sprained ankle.

Officials announced Wednesday the incident was passed along to the Placer County Sheriff’s Department for prosecution under California Penal Code 602, which involves trespassing into a closed area of a ski resort.

“Sugar Bowl Resort places the highest priority on the safety of its guests and employees. The irresponsible and reckless decision to snowboard or ski in closed terrain endangers other skiers and ski patrol, and will not be tolerated,” Monson said in a statement.

The stunt was captured in a 3-minute video that has around 100,000 views on YouTube.

Mares heads down a snowy slope as the avalanche begins, landing stomach first afterward with a beard full of snow. “I’m done,” he says, while removing his goggles.

“Well, that just happened,” he says to the camera as friends head downhill to make sure he’s all right.

Mares said he couldn’t walk on his ankle for a day after the incident, but has since recovered. He said he had no clue he was facing trespassing charges until friends started tagging him in posts of news articles. Mares said he has yet to hear from the resort despite repeatedly calling officials.

Skiers who journey into closed areas usually have their pass pulled for a short duration, or are banned for the rest of the season or for multiple seasons. Mares was not a pass holder, and resort officials said his actions were serious enough to contact authorities.

“The area is clearly marked as closed from both the Mount Disney and Mount Lincoln directions, and it is a very active avalanche area,” officials said. “As such, Mares put himself, his friends, ski patrol and the skiing public at risk.”

Officials said the avalanche in the video was not connected to the search for Carson May, a still-missing ski instructor at the resort who was last seen Jan. 14.

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